What kind of person was Fan Sizhe?

In reality, he was just a very common young man from the capital, blessed with an excellent family background, which had made him a notorious little tyrant in Kyoto. He was that twelve-year-old boy who, upon Fan Xian's arrival in Kyoto, had stared at him with a face full of unpleasantness. Of course, he was also a somewhat intelligent individual, a baronet heir who knew how to restrain himself. At the same time, he was a young man who often revealed a naive competitiveness at the mahjong table, and a genius who often pored over ledgers with a passion that even he found hard to imagine.

A person has many facets, and Fan Sizhe, as a fourteen-year-old noble youth in Kyoto, was no exception. Naiveté was him, passion was him, arrogance was him, and even ruthlessness was him. To judge him by any single facet would be a misjudgment.

His father was a favorite of the current emperor, Fan Jian, the Minister of Revenue. His grandmother was the current emperor's wet nurse. His biological mother and Consort Yi in the palace were sisters. His elder sister, Fan Ruoruo, was the most famous talented woman in Kyoto and was about to marry Li Hongcheng, the heir to Prince Jing.

And his elder brother, the one who was initially a vague enemy but later a pleasant companion, was a poetic genius of his generation, the emperor's most trusted young subject, the Director of the Supervisory Council who wielded immense power, an idol in the eyes of scholars, one who married a princess, was about to take over the Imperial Treasury, had a seat in the imperial study, associated with the elite, and was so favored that his name seemed to be inlaid with a golden edge that one dared not look directly at.

...Yes, his good brother was Fan Xian, that Lord Fan.

Such a family background, it seemed, had never appeared since the founding of Qing Yu Nian. What kind of young man would such a red-hot environment create?

Before Fan Xian entered the capital, Fan Sizhe was already a notorious rogue in Kyoto. It was only that he was still young at that time and had not yet found his direction in life, so he merely freeloaded, snatched some things, galloped through the streets on horseback, and played the part of a little tyrant. Moreover, with Ruoruo keeping him in check with family rules, he had not caused any major trouble. However, this kind of life had already sown the seeds of recklessness in his bones.

After Fan Xian entered the capital, on the one hand, his strong elder brother and sister joined forces to keep Fan Sizhe in line, and on the other hand, the pressure from his father and mother to study and become an official was weakened by Fan Xian's arrival. Fan Xian seemed to have opened a window for his younger brother to a world completely different from that of ordinary noble children.

Fan Sizhe finally understood what he liked to do and what he should do in the future. His future was to become the mistress of the Ye family of old, the kind of tycoon whose wealth could rival a country, to fully utilize his genius in accounting and business.

As he grew older, his firm life goals, his genius for calculation, and his inherent arrogance and ruthlessness combined to create the reckless Fan Sizhe of today.

Since he was going to do business, what was the most profitable thing to do? Naturally, it was the four words: food, drink, sex, and gambling. Although Danbo Bookstore, under the management of the young man and Shopkeeper Qiye of Qing Yu Tang, was gradually expanding throughout the world, firstly, the profits from selling books were not large, and secondly, this bookstore more or less bore the mark of Fan Xian. Fan Sizhe didn't care about this, but he cared more about what kind of career he could create.

And at this time, the Third Prince in the palace, his cousin, was also unwilling to listen to the tutor's lectures every day. With a mind far more mature than his peers, he began to discuss with Fan Sizhe about causing some commotion in Kyoto.

One was fourteen years old, and the other was only eight years old. Such a strange combination created the now-popular Baoyue Brothel in Kyoto.

Because these two young boys had such special backgrounds, this seemingly naive combination brought unexpected results. The obstruction from the government naturally became assistance. And when Fan Sizhe "surprisingly" discovered that the Heir Apparent Li Hongcheng had extremely close ties with the brothel business on Liujing River, he unceremoniously "borrowed" the famous courtesan Yuan Meng from Li Hongcheng.

With Fan Sizhe's business acumen, Yuan Meng's understanding of the industry, and the Third Prince's power, coupled with the domineering and ruthless methods of these two ignorant young boys, Baoyue Brothel cleared the entire Kyoto industry in less than two or three months. As for how many people died in the process and how many innocent women's reputations were ruined, it was completely beyond his consideration.

His name was Fan Sizhe, and although he was young, he was still a noble. As a noble, who would care about the lives of those on the chopping block? Moreover, young people were tyrannical and acted without restraint. This was precisely what Fan Xian was most worried about when he spoke with Wan'er that night.

However, Fan Sizhe still had some fear. Therefore, Baoyue Brothel truly took off in the month after Fan Xian was sent to Northern Qi as an envoy. Several months had passed, and Baoyue Brothel had firmly established itself in Kyoto. Fan Sizhe's inner worries lessened a little, and he thought that even if his elder brother knew that he was doing brothel business, what was done was done, and it wouldn't matter much.

But what he never expected was that in the six months that his elder brother was an envoy to Northern Qi, such a major change had taken place in the court situation!

In the spring, his old Fan family and the Jing Prince family were still closely related and were seen by court officials as the Second Prince's faction. Therefore, Fan Sizhe did not think that there was anything wrong with his association with Li Hongcheng, his future brother-in-law, or with the Third Prince, a prince who was raised by the Second Prince. However, after Fan Xian returned to the capital, Fan Sizhe was stunned to find that his brother seemed to be at odds with the Second Prince!

As the son of a minister, Fan Sizhe did not think that his evil deeds in Kyoto would make his elder brother angry. However, his political acumen made him clear that if his elder brother knew that he was getting too close to that side, there would definitely be problems.

Therefore, starting in September, he began to instruct his subordinates at Baoyue Brothel to act more discreetly, and he was also anxious to extricate himself from this business. That's why he had been running around like a headless chicken recently. But he didn't know what the "clever little devil" Lao San was thinking, as he had been hiding in the palace, stubbornly dragging things out until today!

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Fan Sizhe looked at Deng Ziyue in front of him with an unpredictable expression. He had seen this Supervisory Council official in the mansion and knew that he was Fan Xian's close aide. However, in a split-second moment, he dismissed the idea of ​​killing him to silence him, because his elder brother would find out about his ownership of Baoyue Brothel sooner or later. If he really moved against this person, he was afraid that he would be in deep trouble.

"You go back. I will explain this matter to him myself."

Fan Sizhe's slightly chubby cheeks twitched twice, presumably still afraid in his heart. He waved his hand to stop the thugs behind him from rushing into the arena. When it came down to it, his respect for his elder brother ultimately prevailed.

Deng Ziyue glanced at him, bowed deeply, and left the room.

The Third Prince said in a childish voice, "Just let him go like that? How will I walk around in Kyoto in the future? Even a mere courtier dares to bully me!"

Fan Sizhe sighed inwardly, sat down absentmindedly, and subconsciously stroked the smooth surface of the Qingzhou stone table. He glanced sideways at the girl named Shi Qing'er and suddenly said, "Where is Yan'er?"

Shi Qing'er was confused by the scene in front of her. She wondered why the big boss was afraid of a mere Supervisory Council official? Her level was simply not high enough, and she didn't understand the complex background of this matter at all. She forced a smile and said, "Yan'er should be resting in the back chambers. Do you want to see her now?"

A hint of ruthlessness that only adults should have welled up in the eyes of the fourteen-year-old Fan Sizhe. After a moment, he made a decision and said with a gloomy face, "It's nothing. Everything as usual."

He was calculating extremely quickly in his mind how to deal with the aftermath. If his father knew about this, he would definitely beat him to death. His mother certainly loved him and could even persuade Consort Yi in the palace to intercede with his elder brother... But his elder brother, alas, didn't even give the Princess a face, how could he be persuaded by Consort Yi?

Suddenly, his heart stirred, and his face showed joy. It seemed that he still had to ask his sister and sister-in-law for help. As long as those two spoke, his elder brother probably wouldn't punish him too harshly.

"I have something to do, so I'll leave first." Fan Sizhe glared coldly at the Third Prince, knowing that there must be something strange about this matter. However, although he was young, he was a resolute man who was willing to cut off his own arm. He said coldly, "I won't come to this brothel anymore. I won't care about any of the profits. But you have to calculate my share for me within three months."

The Third Prince scratched his head and said with a chuckle, "With Second Brother and your future brother-in-law backing you up? What's there to be afraid of?"

Fan Sizhe ignored him and the ruthless look in his eyes intensified. He instructed Shi Qing'er, "Send that ten thousand taels of silver notes to the other party immediately! It might save your life."

Shi Qing'er responded timidly, finally understanding that she had offended someone she shouldn't have last night.

……

……

In the third-floor private room of Baoyue Brothel that faced the lake, Fan Xian's eyes were still watching the boats, birds, and people on the lake. His fingers tapped lightly on the table, his face was calm, and he was calculating the matter. Without spending much effort, he had already sorted out all the clues.

Since the owners of this brothel were Sizhe and Lao San, the Kyoto Prefecture would naturally not investigate it. The Supervisory Council, out of consideration for his face, would not make things difficult. Perhaps those people at Department One still suspected that he was the real owner of this brothel, so how dare they report such things to him? They would be helping to hide it before anything else! It was thanks to Mu Tie's courage that he dared to mention a few words in front of him.

He smiled bitterly and drank the remaining wine in his glass. Sizhe's recent actions had been a little strange, and he, as an elder brother, had indeed paid too little attention. He had scolded Ruoruo and Wan'er for no reason, but where did he think that in this male-dominated world, what could they, as sisters and sisters-in-law, do about Fan Sizhe's bad deeds outside the mansion?

As for the Second Prince's plan, Fan Xian was also very clear.

In the spring, his relationship with the Second Prince was still quite good. At that time, the reason why the Second Prince did this shady business with Sizhe through Lao San was on the one hand to have more sources of income, and on the other hand, it was not necessarily a deliberate attempt to target the Fan family. It was just a simple desire to make the relationship between the two sides closer through this small brothel. The reason why he was kept in the dark at that time was probably because the other party thought he was doing him a favor!

In his previous life, there was a true bond from sharing a prostitute, so what kind of relationship was it to open a brothel together to welcome prostitutes? If the two sides really had such deep vested interests, it would not be easy to break away.

……

……

However, the situation changed subtly after he returned to the capital. The Second Prince must have been very surprised by this.

In the current situation, Baoyue Brothel, which was originally intended to deepen the friendship between the two sides... had become a rope for twisting melons!

If Fan Xian wanted to continue to move against the Second Prince, he had to consider the existence of this Baoyue Brothel. After all, Fan Sizhe played a very dishonorable role in it. Based on the evidence that the Supervisory Council had found so far, it was enough to seal up this brothel and punish Fan Sizhe severely! If the matter came to light, even if the Fan family's power could be used to escape the Qing Yu Nian law, this matter would become a weak point for enemies to attack, and the result would be difficult for him and the Fan family to bear.

For Fan Xian, in order to stand relatively independently in politics, he knew that in addition to his mysterious background, the reputation he had worked so hard to gain in the past two years also occupied a very important part.

The Fan family and the Third Prince jointly opened a brothel? The other party nakedly splashed dirty water on each other at the same time. So-called sharing honor and disgrace, everything beautiful is beautiful, and everything dirty is dirty, that's what it meant.

The always clean and unrestrained poet Fan Xian was finally troubled today. He could not care about his own reputation, but he had to care about Fan Sizhe's fate, and he had to care about his father's attitude. Chen Pingping had emphasized countless times that he owed his father... many, many things. And at present, it seemed that this matter was not difficult to solve. As long as he released some goodwill, the matter of Baoyue Brothel would be completely covered up in Kyoto. He would have enough time to deal with Fan Sizhe's involvement in this matter. What he had to pay... was just to reach out and shake hands. This seemed to be the simplest and most beneficial choice for both sides.

But Fan Xian would not choose to shake the black hand extended by the Second Prince, even if this hand represented peace, showed enough sincerity, and the posture was cautious enough, full of tentative meaning, and did not carry out any substantive provocation.

Because he could tolerate someone using his reputation to threaten him, but he could not tolerate someone using his brother to threaten him. No matter how resourceful the Second Prince was, he still ignored a very important point. He always habitually judged things from the perspective of interests, and judged Fan Xian from the perspective of a courtier. He forgot that many things had already gone beyond the scope of profit and loss, and Fan Xian... was too arrogant than a so-called courtier.

Deng Ziyue had safely boarded the carriage and left Baoyue Brothel.

Fan Xian felt slightly relieved that his younger brother was not yet irreparably bad. He silently put his hands behind his back, pushed the door open, walked to the door of that room, and gently pushed the door open.

He looked at the surprised crowd in the room, looked at Fan Sizhe's shocked and frightened face, expressionless, and said softly, "Come home with me."